How to Upload a Video to YouTube in 6 Easy Steps

Imagine a time when you would sit down at your computer and NOT be able to instantly stream your favorite TV show or find a quick makeup tutorial. Hard to picture, isn’t it? But that was the case before 2005 – a world without YouTube. Yet, here we are 16 years later, and watching YouTube videos feels almost second nature. In fact, every day, YouTube users watch one billion hours of videos. In this article, we’ll focus on how to upload a video to YouTube from both your desktop and a mobile device.

How To Upload a Video To YouTube From Your Web Browser

Uploading a video to YouTube from your desktop or PC is pretty straightforward.

Step 1

First, head on over to www.youtube.com.

Step 2

If you don’t see your profile picture in the upper-right corner, go ahead and log in to your YouTube account by clicking sign-in and entering your Google account information.

Step 3

Next, you’ll want to click the first icon (the one that looks like a video camera). Then choose the first option: Upload video.

Step 4

The video upload page should appear on your screen. You can click the arrow to upload the video file you want or simply drag and drop the file directly onto the page.

Step 5

While you wait for the video to be uploaded, you can fill out all the necessary information for your video. Now, this is a crucial step so you don’t want to breeze through it. Much like your website and social media pages, you want to optimize your YouTube video – but more on this later!

Step 6

The final step is to publish the video. The cool bit is you can click publish while your video is still in the process of uploading. If you prefer to wait until the video finishes uploading, you can do that too.

Depending on the length of your video, this can take a few minutes to a few hours.

You can also upload a new video directly from your YouTube studio. When you’re on your video’s page, you'll see the “Create” button in the top right corner. There you can click Upload video from the small drop-down menu and follow the same instructions.

How to Upload a Video to YouTube via Mobile

Step 1

Install the mobile app first if you haven't already. If you already have it on your iOS or Android, simply launch the YouTube app on your iPhone or Android device.

Step 2

Tap on the video upload option at the bottom of the screen. On mobile, this option looks like a plus sign.

Step 3

If you’re using the upload feature for the first time, you might have to give the app access to your camera and photo library.

Step 4

Now, tap the video you’d like to upload.

Step 5

Tap “Next” to move on to the upload process.

Step 6

You’ll need to enter information (such as the video’s name and select the privacy level) then click the upload button.

Add Information About YouTube Video Uploads

This point was touched upon in Step 5 of Section 1 (How To Upload a Video To YouTube From Your Web Browser), but we want to dig a little deeper because it is vital to your videos’ success.

Title

You should make sure your video title is clear and reflects the subject accurately. Prioritize clarity when creating your title and limit the title to seven to ten words so that users can read the full title when browsing.

Description

Again, you should clearly describe the content of your video to your viewers. Start with the title and use keywords (and phrases) your audience will be searching for. This will help to increase the chances of your video getting found organically in the search results. You’ll also want to optimize the description and add tags, as well.

Video thumbnails

We’ve discussed the importance of thumbnails before. Thumbnails are among the first things that will catch your viewer's eye, right up there with the title. When a video's thumbnail and title are exciting/engaging enough, people will be more likely to watch it.

YouTube will display three still images as thumbnails that you can choose from. Those results are also displayed in search results. If none of these options appeals to you, you can also upload your own image.

Privacy settings

Here you can choose different levels of your privacy settings for your video.

• Public – When you make your video public, it can be viewed by everyone and will show up in the YouTube search results.
• Unlisted – This is still a public video, but only people with a direct link to it will be able to see the video. These won’t appear in the YouTube search results.
• Private – You will be the only person with access to viewing the video on your YouTube channel.
• Scheduled – If you upload a video on Friday afternoon but don’t want it to be released until Monday morning, no problem. You can use the scheduling feature and set the date and time you want to publically publish your video.

Playlists

Playlists are a great way for your viewers to discover your video content much more easily. By using playlists, you’re able to group your videos together by certain video elements.

Age restrictions

If any videos aren’t exactly made for kids, you can add an age restriction for those 18 and under. What type of videos should you restrict? Anything with:

• Violence and disturbing images
• Nudity and sexually explicit content
• Dangerous activities

Tags

Adding relevant and descriptive tags, much like the description, can assist viewers in finding your video. Again, consider keywords. Simple and short phrases will be better than long-tail keywords or full phrases.

There you go! Simple instructions on how to upload videos to YouTube from your computer or mobile app.

Need help with having a video created? Contact Levitate Media to speak with one of our video specialists. And if you want to know how to delete a video, check out our article: A Step-By-Step Guide for You to Delete a Video From YouTube.